Play FAST Singles Around the Kit
The beginner’s step-by-step, work-at-your-own-pace method for achieving fast singles & fluid movement across the drumset - So that you’re nailing quick fills & you’re able to play the songs you want to play - Even if you're a self-taught beginner with a weak hand.
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Feel comfortable & confident by adjusting your setup to fit your body
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Play quickly & loudly without losing your sticks
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Move from drum to drum smoothly and effortlessly
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Play fast, fluid singles around the kit so that you’re nailing your fills!
YOU CAN DO THIS. Here's how:
Here's what students are saying...
Here's the deal.
Here are the biggest problems you’re probably facing as a beginner…
- You can’t move freely & smoothly around the kit (never fully connecting technique to the drumset)
- Your fills are stiff, clumsy, and out of time, and transitioning in & out of them is a mess
- You have a hard time figuring out how to actually use what you've practiced on the pad… on the actual kit
- You've been practicing a bunch, but you're not feeling any better at the drums...
Unfortunately this leaves you...
- Wondering if you "lack talent," are "too old," or simply aren't cut out for the drums
- Wondering if you'll ever truly "feel good" on the drumset
- Regretting time you're afraid you've wasted, not growing as fast as you'd like
Let me tell you the truth:
No drummer comes out of the womb smoothly gliding around the kit, playing fills effortlessly.
You CAN master this with a little practice, and I want to help you get there quickly.
I’ve been where you're at.
When I was a brand new beginner, the most terrifying thing happened to me...
I got drafted into the high school worship band at my church.
Now talk about terrifying… This was the scariest thing I had ever done in my 16 year life - Play in front of people for the first time with so little experience!
I was so scared of making mistakes, falling apart, and train wrecking the band.
But week after week I got more and more comfortable, growing consistently and receiving lots of grace and forgiveness from the encouraging team I played with each week.
A few months in I was loving playing every week, and within about a year and a half I had decided I wanted to become a professional touring drummer and move to Nashville after graduating high school.
But I had a problem holding me back…
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with my mom around that time.
Professional drummers played every week in the main church service (I grew up at a big church near Atlanta), and I loved having the opportunity to see and listen to them every Sunday.
I specifically remember this moment in the car on the way home from one of those Wednesday night student worship services when my mom asked me an interesting question. She knew how hard I was practicing and how badly I wanted to become a professional touring drummer one day, so she asked me:
“Stephen, is there anything those pro players can do that you can’t? Do you feel like there’s a difference between your playing and theirs?”
She wasn’t trying to put any pressure on me or force a comparison (I think she knew I was already doing that myself!).
I remember my exact response:
“Well, I can play everything that I hear them play - But they make it sound better.”
That was the big problem - and the big difference between my amateur playing and their pro playing!
I couldn’t put my finger on the specifics, but I knew that those pro players just sounded better…more professional compared to my amateur, shaky playing that just didn’t measure up or feel good enough.
- They were more relaxed and smooth.
- They played everything with purpose and intention.
- I knew that I could in theory play the same grooves and the same fills, but I just sounded sloppy and amateur.
- I didn’t sound confident.
- I didn’t sound professional or recordable.
- My fills weren’t smooth, and I felt self-conscious going into them.
- I felt stiff and sporadic when navigating around the kit.
- My playing wasn’t intentional, strong, and authoritative.
- When it came down to it, I felt inadequate.
- I wondered if I would figure this out or if I would always be “that high school drummer” who had talent… but didn’t hold up to pro players.
I wanted so badly to be truly great at the drums, but I knew something was missing and holding me back.
How do I translate my hand technique that works so well on the practice pad… to the full drum set so I can actually use it and actually sound great and actually be a real drummer??
Can YOU relate to that? You practice hard and harder, but you listen to your favorite pro players who make it look & sound easy, and they just seem more relaxed and smooth.
They play everything quickly & fluidly, with purpose & intention.
They sound amazing with a band, AND they sound amazing on a recording.
Their fills are so smooth and fluid, and they always seem to play the right thing.
What do THEY have that YOU don’t?
Well, I eventually learned something that totally changed my playing...
In my 8 years of teaching online and observing, listening to, and offering feedback to thousands of students all over the world, I’ve discovered something:
Simply put, this is the biggest secret to speed and flow around the drumset:
Most drummers assume that sheer wrist strength and finger dexterity are the secrets to speed around the kit, but the truth is that the way you’re holding your sticks and the way you’re moving your sticks is what actually determines how quickly & smoothly you can play fills.
When you figure THAT out, you become more relaxed & more confident, and everything you play begins to sound more solid, polished, and professional. And it literally all starts with your grip & motion.
The most important things you can ever learn on the drums are also the simplest, and this is why too many drummers miss them. But you won’t be one of those.
Let me help you solve all of this! Let me be your coach & guide, getting you to a place where your sticks are effortlessly gliding around the drumset, playing smooth singles and musical fills.
How would you like to become the drummer others want to jam with? What if you had the ability & the confidence to just sit down and play the drums with nothing in your way?
What if YOU could soon be flowing around the kit with ease, playing the fills you want to play?...
I believe that in as little as 3 months, you can go FROM:
- Unable to play smoothly and freely around the kit
- Feeling clumsy, stiff, and incapable
- Always feeling like you’re gonna lose your sticks
- Unable to use what you practice on your pad on the kit
- Frustrated with how you’re practicing a bunch but aren’t getting far
TO:
- Flawlessly applying technique to the drum set
- Playing quickly & fluidly around the full kit in a comfortable, relaxed, confident manner
- Now able to play fast fills (and get in and out of them easily)
- Feeling confident and empowered to play your favorite songs without limitation!
I would LOVE to be your coach & guide. Let me help you with this!
This is why I created a simple, step-by-step course you can get through in 30 days that will have you fluidly gliding around the kit and nailing fills. You’ll be amazed at what you’re able to accomplish in the next month, and especially in the months & years going forward.
Join the new course this week while doors are open! It’s called:
Play FAST Singles Around the Kit
The beginner’s step-by-step method for achieving fast singles & fluid movement across the drumset - So that you’re nailing quick fills & you’re able to play the songs you want to play in as little as 30 days.
This is a single-payment, “lifetime access” course you can work through at your own pace, and here’s how it all works in a nutshell:
- Learn how to adjust & optimize your kit setup so that you’re comfortable & confident, knowing that your kit’s working FOR you and not AGAINST you.
- Learn “the drumset grip” so that you’re playing quickly, loudly, and smoothly without losing your sticks or feeling out of control.
- Learn “the law of drumset stick motion”, the secret to moving from drum to drum smoothly and effortlessly so that you feel confident, quick, and maybe even invincible behind your instrument.
- Play fast, fluid singles around the kit so that you’re nailing your fills & you’re able to now play your favorite songs without limitation!
Most students get to that end result of fast, fluid singles around the kit more quickly than they expected. Here’s why, and here’s the process of how you might work through each lesson:
- Watch the bite-sized, step-by-step 5 minute lesson, playing along with me (also grab the written notation PDF accompanying every lesson!)
- Take action, practicing “the thing” in the lesson. If you can’t quite get it, no worries. You have full permission to move on (the course is paced so that you don’t overwork your hands, and we go back and forth between fast, slow, fast, slow).
- Ask questions in the comments beneath each lesson. I'm here to answer whatever you ask and to make sure you have complete clarity & are staying on track.
- Move on to the next lesson tomorrow, methodically moving lesson by lesson each day. Remember that you might not see growth today or tomorrow, but all these little baby steps add up big time after a few weeks or a few months.
- Repeat, continuing to make the habit of working on this for just 30 minutes each day. Give me 30 minutes a day for 30 days, and I’ll give you faster, smoother singles around the kit that allow you to play quick, fluid fills. YOU CAN DO THIS.
Here's what my other course students have been saying...
(These folks have worked through Total Hand Freedom or Total 4-Way Coordination)
"Honestly I have never been this happy about drumming!
My progress for the last 4 weeks has been amazing. I spent this week working on 1/8th & 1/16th note grooves on the hihat at 100-120 bpm, and I was was amazed at how autopilot the ostinato was for me."
"Ok - BREAKTHROUGH!!!! I CAN do this!
Stephen is a GREAT teacher and his method in this program works! Jumping up and down and Thank you Stephen for your encouragement, patience and GREAT program!!!"
“YES it is WORKING!
I'm astonished because I'm not used to seeing this kind of progress in such short period of time. Thanks a bunch for putting this training together. This method of yours really works.”
“This is a big step forward for me.
My two goals were 1. Easier fast hihats - I can do that now without getting tired. 2. More confidence soloing. I played with a singer the other week who sprung a solo on me in the middle of a song, and I did it, and my technique held up. Previously I would have panicked, but my improved technique meant I could think properly while playing."
Here's why this program WORKS:
- You’re able to work through the program quickly, even if you’re busy! 30 short (roughly 5 min), bite-sized, daily lessons you can quickly move through at your own pace (but no hurry, because you have "lifetime" access)
- Follow a structured plan - a system that shows you exactly what to practice and when, so that you’re not overwhelmed and you’re growing as fast as possible
- Go through the entire course in a month (a lesson a day) if you like, or quickly binge it in a couple of hours then go back and follow the action steps
- Play along with me in every lesson so that you know you’re practicing well and doing things right
- Work through the very method I worked through years ago to take my playing from sloppy & amateur to smooth & fluid - and that students like you are using to amaze themselves with their actual abilities
- Get personalized feedback on your hands and your kit navigation as you work through the lessons (opt into the “premium tier” to know that you’re practicing well and doing everything right)
- Get your questions answered in the comments! Each week I dive into the comment-section beneath each lesson video to answer your questions and help you stay on track.
Here's what we're covering...
Introduction: 3 Things to do First
There's an overlooked ingredient for comfort & fluidity around the kit, and it has nothing to do directly with our grip or motion. This is a critical skill to cover before we get going! We also break down how to make faster progress solving your weak hand as you go through the program.
Lesson 1: “Welcome to the Course! Start here:”
Lesson 2: The overlooked ingredient for comfort & fluidity around the kit
Lesson 3: If you have a weak hand, be doing this:
Module 1: “The Drum Set Grip” (Secret to looseness AND control)
Here we’re answering the question of “How do we actually grip our sticks so we feel both loose AND in control on the drums?” We establish a solid foundation of high quality grip that will take you anywhere on the drums, which is also the first step to total weak hand elimination. You won’t have a weak hand by the end of this program.
Lesson 1: Are you holding your sticks right? The “drumset grip” vs “practice pad grip”
Lesson 2: Get rebound on ANY surface by using the “Air Toss” (The secret to smooth motion from either hand)
Lesson 3: The answer for dealing with stick SLIPPAGE (try these 4 things)
Module 2: “Optimize Your Kit Setup” (Feel more comfortable & get better sounds for LESS effort)
Did you know that the way your drums are set up could actually be slowing down your fills and your ability to move around the kit? Don’t worry! We solve that here by breaking down where each drum should be placed for maximum speed & fluidity potential around the kit. That way we’re set up for success before we even apply our technique to the full kit…
Lesson 1: How to know your snare's in the most comfortable spot [Snare Placement]
Lesson 2: How your rack tom could be slowing you down [Rack Tom Placement]
Lesson 3: 3 steps to reaching your floor tom more easily [Floor Tom Placement]
Module 3: “The ‘Law of Stick Motion’ on the Drumset” (How we have to THINK differently when moving from the pad to the full kit)
Here we break down how many drummers are actually SLOWING DOWN their sticks without realizing it. Solve this, and you’re off to the races - avoiding stiffness or awkwardness and feeling relaxed & confident.
Lesson 1: The fastest way to move your sticks from drum to drum (The "law of drumset stick motion")
Lesson 2: What to do if one of your hands feels stiff moving around the drumset ("4 on a drum" exercise)
Lesson 3: Move more quickly from drum to drum with the “wrist-twist” ("2 on a drum" & "1 on a drum" exercises)
Lesson 4: Test your smoothness with fast “pairs” | Play faster without getting stiff & sloppy
Module 4: “Play Effortless Tom Patterns” (Flow freely around the kit, improvising creative patterns without even changing your sticking)
Navigate freely & even improvise tom patterns with the “Shifting Toms” exercises. Discover the motion secrets to smoothly maneuvering around the kit with as little effort as possible, so that your playing becomes naturally smooth without you even trying.
Lesson 1: The exercise EVERY drummer should do every day (The biggest reason many drummers feel stiff & awkward)
Lesson 2: Pay attention to THIS in order to play around the kit @100bpm
Lesson 3: Create syncopation without changing your sticking from RLRL ["The Shifting Toms" @60]
Lesson 4: Quicken & smoothen your drum-to-drum movement ["The Shifting Toms" @90]
Lesson 5: Improvise creative tom patterns around the kit with simple singles ["The Shifting Tom PAIRS" @60-90]
Module 5: “The Speed: Play Fast Fills” (The physical & mental adjustments to break past tempo barriers)
You’re now ready for the final step, where we start picking up the tempo. We break down some of the adjustments you have to make physically and mentally to break past speed barriers, and we get you playing around the kit at 120bpm.
Lesson 1: Your 1st “Fast Fill!” | It’s not that fast if you only play 4 notes [Groove to beat 4 SN 16th fill]
Lesson 2: Play a longer fast snare fill (The secret to doing this well & in time) [Groove to beat 3 SN 16th fill]
Lesson 3: The best way to practice fill transitions (Hint: It’s way too simple!) [Groove 1 bar to 1-bar SN fill] [Groove-Fill Exercise level 1]
Lesson 4: How “kit orchestration” makes a super simple fill interesting (Play creatively WITHOUT ever changing your sticking from RLRL)
Lesson 5: How to improvise fills when the groove changes [Groove-Fill Exercise level 2]
Lesson 6: But what if the song is faster than 100bpm? (Scaling even faster in tempo)
Here are some of the biggest highlights we’re hitting throughout this roadmap:
- How to grip for the drum set, not for practice pad
- How to use the “law of stick motion” on the drum set for smoother motion
- How to use the “wrist rotate” to move from drum to drum more quickly
- How to use the “shifting toms” framework of exercises to build fluidity & improvisational abilities
- How to use the “groove-fill” exercise to master fill transitions and forever let go of fear of train wrecking a band
BUT… This isn’t all we’re covering.
I’m also throwing in 3 really fun, super practical bonuses for you that you’re gonna love. But they're only available this week!
50 Practical Rock Fills to Start Using Today
This is a play-along bonus course designed to teach you specific fills and ways to use everything you’ve learned. You’re now ready to “go out in the world” and use your smooth kit navigation skills, so here are a bunch of specific, musical fills to get you started and continue to challenge you.
- Learn specific, around-the-kit fills that challenge your skills and that you can use in the real world
- Build your "fill vocabulary," becoming more creative & able to improvise in the process
- Know exactly what & how to practice, playing along with me every step of the way
This is where the rubber will really meet the road, and it will be the super fun icing on the cake for you. I look forward to sharing this with you!
You'll receive these next 2 bonuses only if you enroll before the deadline I told you about in the email!
Realistic Rock: Build 4-way rock coordination the FUN way!
What this will help you do:
- Build 4-way coordination in a rock context
- Gain the ability to improvise between the kick & snare
- Be able to ultimately play any rock / pop song that comes your way!
What you get:
- Complete 35min video training
- PDF download with action steps & exercise notation
- Access to audio play-a-long examples of every groove & exercise
- *BUT you have to enroll before the deadline I told you about in the email!*
Master Fills | Nail fill transitions, play the ideas you hear, and confidently execute songs
- Continue growing in your confidence to create & execute fills on the fly
What you get:
- The complete 2-part training
- PDF download with action steps & fill notation
- Access to audio play-a-long examples of every groove & exercise
- *BUT you have to enroll before the deadline I told you about in the email!*
How Much Will This Cost?
This is about the only question we HAVEN'T answered yet!
Well, I teach these very skills to my one-on-one coaching students, and they pay me almost $3,000 to work with me for 3 months.
I also teach these skills to my membership community students in large-group settings, and they pay me about $300 a year.
But I want to make this beginner-level program super accessible to you so that this is a total no-brainer.
I’ve condensed my decade+ of experience playing drums professionally and teaching this method to students into a streamlined, step-by-step series of lessons that you can access for life and work through at your own pace. You won’t pay thousands of dollars…or even $300. I’m offering this step-by-step, kit navigation method to you today for just a single payment of $97. However, the price is increasing to $147 after Midnight Pacific this Friday night. Join this week to grab the low price while it lasts.
Considering this price and the amount of value packed into this course, enrolling is honestly a no brainer. And when you sign up today, you'll receive instant access to the course AND BONUSES for life.
My "solid-as-a-supraphonic-snare," 100% money-back Guarantee
When you dive into this complete method...
- You’ll be smoothly gliding around the kit with confidence.
- You'll be playing tom grooves and tom fills that once felt impossible.
- You’ll amaze yourself and anyone who hears you, all while following a 30-minute-a-day system that’s so much fun you forget you’re practicing hand technique.
You’ll be a different drummer by the end of this, feeling comfortable, confident, and authoritative behind the drums, nailing fills with ease - Or else I’ll make it right, guaranteed! That’s the advantage of learning the drums the Non Glamorous way. We get right to it, eliminating the fluff and helping you grow FASTER.
If at any moment you decide that the “Fast singles around the kit” method hasn’t delivered the results you were expecting, I’ll give you a complete refund. All you have to do is shoot me an email at [email protected] saying “give me my refund!” in the subject line, and I’ll give you your money back no questions asked. There are no strings attached, no forms to fill out, and I won’t question you.
As a matter of fact, you can try out the program for a full 90 days. If at the end of the 3 months you’re not having an easier time gliding around the kit effortlessly, going in and out of fills smoothly, and feeling comfortable and relaxed on the drums like you’ve never felt before…
SO. Are you with me?
Let me help you go...
FROM...
- Never fully connecting technique to the kit
- Wasting practice time
- Feeling stiff & clumsy and out-of-time on the kit
- Struggling with fills (and getting in and out of them)
TO…
- Gliding smoothly around the kit loudly and quickly
- Gripping loosely AND firmly, so you don’t develop tension, pain, or arthritis in either hand or wrist
- Flowing freely around the whole kit, feeling just as comfortable playing around the toms as you do on the snare
- Jumping into a fill at any moment, thanks to the comfort and confidence you’ve built playing around the kit
- No more “hands locking up” or “brain farts” - They’ll now do exactly as you tell them to!
YOU CAN DO THIS.
Remember, no drummer is born with this stuff. These are learned skills that YOU TOO can learn and master, and you can make a ton of progress in just 30 days.
- It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been playing.
- It doesn’t matter how old you are.
- It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing an acoustic or electric kit.
- It doesn’t matter whether you have a weak hand coming into this.
You can learn this stuff just like I did.
You can go from wondering why the pros all sound & feel better than you…
… to realizing “You know, I sound a lot like my favorite drummer!”
Join the “Play Fast Fills Around the Kit” course this week while doors are open, and let me be your coach on this awesome & exciting journey on the drums.
I’ll see you there!
Let's get started!
Click the big “enroll” button below to grab your spot in the course now. Your drumming will never be the same. I'll see you in the course!
